


Crash and fall

by Trash_PandaTO



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 06:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13607544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trash_PandaTO/pseuds/Trash_PandaTO
Summary: Waverly breaks a leg, but she's not a damsel in distress, thank you very much. She can take care of herself! But maybe she needs a little bit of help after all - on Waverly's terms, of course.





	Crash and fall

Breathe, Waverly, breathe!

Of course, this would happen. One minute, they were all running through the snowy, icy cold woods just outside of Purgatory, chased by what looked like a pack of rabid mountain lions dressed like men, and the next, Waverly found herself on her back, struggling to breathe. She had been running right next to Wynonna and Doc, with Nicole following behind, when suddenly the ground beneath her gave way. And now here she was, gasping for breath. She could see three faces peering down at her from above, yelling at her, but she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Her ears were buzzing, and she was disoriented from the fast change of scenery. She also likely hit her head on impact a bit, which would explain why her brain was struggling to catch up.

She slowly lifted her head, testing the movement but also to look around more. Groaning, she scanned her surroundings. It looked like a cave of sorts, and Waverly immediately hoped that she hadn’t accidentally crashed into the den of a hibernating bear. She tried to lift herself up some more, but her head started spinning and she quickly returned to her original position, facing up. Waverly decided she would give herself a few more seconds before she would try that again.

“Baby girl! You alright? Don’t move, okay? We’re getting you out of there!” Waverly could finally focus enough to hear what her sister was yelling down at her.

“Okay” she croaked. There was snow falling down on her now, hitting her face. She didn’t know whether it was being brushed into the opening from the three people standing above, or whether it was actually snowing now. Feeling the cold flakes on her face gave her enough of a shock to focus so she could start taking stock. She knew she likely had a small concussion, and she could feel some general stiffness in her entire upper body. She tried moving her arms, wiggled her fingers. That all seemed fine, if maybe a little sore. She focussed on her hips, and they seemed fine. Then, she tried moving her legs and immediately winced. There was a sharp pain radiating up and down her entire right leg. She couldn’t quite tell where the source of the pain was, but she knew it was bad enough that she would likely not be able to put any weight on it. Great, Waverly. This is excellent. She sighed.

She could hear commotion from above. She opened her eyes and could no longer see her sister or Doc, but she could hear them. There was shouting and some signature Wynonna cursing. After a few moments, she heard gunfire. She closed her eyes again, and breathed deeply through her nose. All she could do at this moment was hope that Wynonna had things under control up there, that they would all be safe. Meanwhile, she was stuck down here and couldn’t do a thing to help. Worse yet, she needed help herself, and she hated every bit of that. She was jerked out of her thoughts when bigger clumps of snow hit her face.

“Alright, got those assholes. Waverly! Just hold on, okay? We’re coming down there!” Wynonna sounded breathless, but it made Waverly feel better immediately knowing that those things they had been running from where no longer a pressing concern. She tried lifting herself up again a little bit to look around and assess her options.

“Baby!” The soft voice from above got her attention. “Don’t move around too much, okay? We’ll be there in a minute to get you out.”

“Nicole.” She saw her girlfriend looking down at her, giving her a slanted smile. “I think I hurt my leg. I can’t move it.”

“I can see that, baby. Don’t try and move, okay? We’ll get you out.”

Waverly sighed. If Nicole could see that something was wrong with her leg from way up there, it likely wasn’t good. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up on her elbows. She looked down her body and gasped a little. Her right leg was twisted in a way that looked entirely unnatural, especially near the ankle. She couldn’t see any blood other than some scraped skin here and there, so that was good news. But even just seeing the odd direction her leg was pointing in made her feel slightly nauseous. She took another deep breath and looked away from her leg. This time, she looked around the cave some more. No bears that she could see, but it did look like an animal hide-out of sorts. Thinking about what that could mean, her heart rate picked up a bit, and she looked back up at the opening.

“Nicole, can you guys hurry? It is creepy down here, and I don’t want to run into whatever animal has been using this as their winter hangout.”

“We’re on it, baby. Doc is running back to that shed we saw earlier to grab the ladder there. He should be back any second now. And I’m here. If there is something or someone coming, I’ll protect you. I’m here.”

“Okay” she sighed “just, hurry, please.”

With nothing to do but wait, Waverly decided to push herself up a little bit more until she was sitting up properly. She felt dizzy, but a bit more in control than lying flat on her back. She was considering her options, and looked back at her leg; she knew they would have to stabilize it somehow in order to get her out of the cave.

“Nicole, I need, we need something to brace my leg with. At least a little bit. To get me out of here.”

“Okay, baby! Let me see what I can find. Okay? Just, hang on a few more minutes.”

With that, Nicole’s face disappeared. Waverly shivered, noticing for the first time how cold it was in that cave. Or maybe it was just that the initial adrenaline was wearing off. Either way, she pulled her coat around herself a little bit more tightly and hoped that her sister and girlfriend would pull through and get her out of here quickly. A little while later, she could hear several voices again. It sounded like Doc and Wynonna were back and currently arguing with Nicole about the best approach to get Waverly out, but she couldn’t hear enough to make out the details. Waverly was sore, and cold and getting impatient.

“Guys! Can you hurry up, please? I survived this fall, and I really don’t want to freeze to death down here!”

“We’re coming, Baby girl!”

“Watch your head, okay” she heard Nicole say. “Doc is gonna push the ladder down, so watch yourself down there.”

More snow was being pushed into the cave now, along with dirt and small rocks. She could see the end of the ladder slowly being lowered into the opening. It hit the ground and almost immediately, both Doc and Nicole were by her side, Wynonna was holding on to the top of the ladder outside.

Waverly felt a wave of relief, immediately followed by dread. She knew that getting up and out of there using the ladder would hurt like hell.

“Okay, baby. I’m here. We’ve got you.”

She could only nod, trying to keep herself level and calm by breathing deeply.

“I found this old hiking pole” Nicole held up a slightly banged up metal pole, “At least I think that’s what this is. I’m gonna use it to brace your leg a little bit, okay?”

Another nod.

With careful movements, Nicole slid down next to her leg and placed the pole on the outside of it. She then proceeded to take off her belt, assessing her options as she went. “Doc, I need your belt!”

Waverly could hear a huff behind her where Doc was propping up her upper body against his. But after a few seconds, he could see what Nicole was planning and swiftly pulled it out of its loops. Waverly decided to go for some levity in the moment, knowing that what was ahead for all three of them was not going to be much fun.

“You’re two for two now with Earp sisters getting the belt out of your pants!”

“Well, Waverly, dear, technically it was Nicole who asked for my belt. And I am pretty sure your good officer here would prefer if I kept my pants on at all times.” He chuckled a little and Nicole snorted, but remained focussed on her task.

With swift but careful movements, Nicole had looped the belts around her leg and the pole, but hadn’t pulled anything tight yet.

“Okay, baby. This is going to hurt a bit now, but I’ll try to be fast, okay?”

Waverly nodded. “Okay. Go for it.”

Nicole pulled on the belts, bracing Waverly’s leg against the metal pole. Waverly yelped and dug her hands into the ground beside her as she felt the pain shooting up her leg. Nicole was moving quickly, as promised, but it still hurt like hell. She tried to breathe, which was harder to do than anticipated.

“Sorry, sorry…almost done” Nicole muttered.

By the time she was done, cold sweat was running down Waverly’s spine and forehead. She was shivering and grimacing in pain, but she fought to stay upright and continued to focus on breathing. She felt fingertips gently brushing the hair off her sweat and dirt caked forehead. “I’m sorry, baby.” Nicole whispered.

“No, it’s okay” Waverly shook her head slightly. “Had to be done.” She took a few more careful, but deep breaths, steadying herself.

“Okay, ladies. Are you ready to get out of here?” Doc mumbled behind her, fidgeting a little. He seemed as uncomfortable with seeing Waverly in pain as Nicole was. They both nodded.

Nicole and Doc moved to either side of her and looped their arms around her, lifting her up easily. Waverly carefully held her leg so it wasn’t touching the ground or anything else as the three of them hobbled over to the ladder.

“Waverly,” Doc drawled “are you able to hang on to my back as I climb up?”

Waverly looked up the ladder. It wasn’t very far, so it shouldn’t take long, but she could also tell that she wasn’t feeling particularly strong in that moment. 

Nicole noticed hesitation. “I’ll be right behind you, and can help hold you up. But if you don’t feel up for that, we can figure out another way.”

Waverly could see the concern swirling around in Nicole’s eyes, could see how her girlfriend was going through other options in her mind. She looked up again, and looked at Doc, took a deep breath and made up her mind.

“No, it’s okay. I can do it.”

“You’re sure?” both Nicole and Doc asked.

“Yeah, just…get me out of here.”

With that determination, Doc stood with his back to her and helped her hang on to his neck and shoulders, her legs wrapped around his hips as much as she could without bumping her broken leg into anything. She could feel Doc taking the first steps up the ladder, while Nicole had one hand on her back, protectively holding her up a bit while climbing up right behind them.

It took some effort, but she was able to hang on all the way to the top. Doc and Nicole carefully set her down on a tree stump, taking a breath themselves, while Wynonna wrapped Waverly in a strong hug.

“Oh god, I am so glad to see you on the surface again!”

Waverly chuckled, but felt woozy. “Me, too” she said, but her voice was giving away how exhausted she was.

“Okay, let’s get you to a hospital, shall we?” Wynonna looked at her sister and then at Doc and Nicole, motioning for them to get a move on. 

Waverly really didn’t like the idea of being carried. In fact, she had told Nicole several times that outside of “sexy times”, she did NOT appreciate being picked up. “Just because I am small doesn’t mean it’s an invitation to pick me up” she had said firmly! “I can hold my own, thank you very much!” Nicole had nodded at her then, and assured her that she would always let Waverly carry her own weight. And Waverly could sense now that those conversations were on Nicole’s mind. But she also had to admit that at this very moment, she really wasn’t in a position to walk back to the car. She grabbed Nicole’s hand and squeezed it to get her full attention.

“Would you…would you mind carrying me? I don’t think I can walk.”

Nicole looked down, her brown eyes showing a mix of worry and deep love. “Of course, Wave. If that’s okay with you.”

Waverly nodded and felt Nicole move closer and wrap one arm around her shoulder and the other hook under her legs. “Let me know if anything hurts or is uncomfortable, yeah?” Another nod, as she laid her head down against Nicole’s shoulder. Sure, her leg hurt like hell, and she was cold and tired, but right now, all she could feel was relief. They were going to get out of here. She wouldn’t get eaten by an angry bear in a cave or by whatever those things were that had been chasing them here. Her sister was alive, Doc was, too, and her girlfriend was carrying her to safety. All things considered, this wasn’t too terrible. She snuggled closer into Nicole’s neck and felt herself drifting off. The last thing she was somewhat aware of was hearing Nicole quietly mumble “I’ve got you”.

******

When she awoke again, she was in a hospital bed, IV in her arm, and her lower leg was heavily bandaged. She felt groggy, but not as sore as before. She rolled her head around a bit and spotted Nicole and Wynonna sitting in two chairs next to her bed. Nicole was holding her hand, while Wynonna appeared to be playing with her phone. 

She squeezed Nicole’s hand to let her know that she was awake.

“Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”

“M better. Thirsty, though” Waverly managed to get out. Her throat was scratchy, and her mouth felt like she had swallowed ten cotton balls.

“OH! Here, I have a flask with the good stuff! Only the best for my baby sister!”

Nicole had already untangled her hand and was reaching over to the side table to pour some water into a cup for Waverly. She shot Wynonna a look, but didn’t need to say anything else before the latter conceded. “Okay, maybe not right now. But later!”

Waverly smiled, and took the water from Nicole. She instantly felt much better.

“Thank you.”

“Always.” Nicole took the cup from her, and held her hand again, while they both just looked at each other for a few moments.

“Okay, guys, I need you to be a little bit less gross. Tone down the heart eyes just a notch. At least when I am in the room! Sheesh!”

Both Waverly and Nicole grinned at that.

“Alright. So, what’s the verdict? Leg broken, I assume?” Waverly wanted to take stock, but really, all she wanted to know was when she would be able to go home.

“Yep” Wynonna popped the “p” loudly. “They had to put some plates in for now to hold the bone in place or something, so you’re like the Iron Lady now.”

“It’s not iron” Nicole noted, which earned her an exasperated huff from Wynonna.

“Anyway. So there is that, and they want to keep you in here for a little while. You also have a concussion, but not a bad one. The doc – not our Doc, the hospital doc – she said she would let you go home in a couple of days, though, if we promise to take good care of you. Which, duh!” Wynonna said, waving her hand between them. “You’ve got like the best team of personal caregivers here. And Doc and Dolls, too.”

Waverly smiled at that, but at the same time, she felt uneasy about the idea of having everyone hover and baby her while her leg was healing. She didn’t want to say anything in that moment, so she bit her lip and chose to cross that bridge when they got there instead.

“Okay.” She breathed. She felt a slight squeeze against her fingers and looked over at her girlfriend. “I’m exhausted.”

“I know, baby. Sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.” Nicole placed a quick kiss on her forehead and tucked the light wool hospital blanket around her a little bit higher. 

Waverly breathed in and smelled that familiar smell of vanilla, which was mixed with various hospital scents, but it was still enough to be soothing, and she allowed herself to relax and close her eyes. She’d take all the rest she could get for now.

******

A few days later, Waverly was getting ready to leave the hospital. The doctor had given her a cast, crutches and very specific instructions to not put any weight on the leg for the time being. She was also sent home with painkillers and orders to clean her other cuts and scrapes once a day to help the healing process. She felt set and thoroughly prepared to take care of herself. She knew, of course, that Nicole and her sister would want to be around to help, but she was relieved that for the most part, she would be able to get around on her own with relatively minimal restrictions. It gave her a sense of control that she hadn’t felt since that moment she crashed into that cave.

“Ready to go?” a soft voice drifted over from the door where Nicole was standing and smiling at her.

“So ready!” Waverly grinned. She was positively giddy at the thought of going home. She grabbed her crutches and was about to make her way out of the room when the nurse came through the door with a wheelchair. “What’s this? I don’t need that. I can hobble out on these things” she said, waving around one of the crutches.

“I know you can, Miss Earp. But unfortunately, it’s hospital policy. Just until you are out of the building.” The nurse looked apologetic, likely having had this exact argument with many patients before.

Waverly huffed. Her face clearly showed her annoyance with this development. All she wanted to do was to get back to being able to do things herself. She didn’t need a freaking wheelchair!

“It’s not far, baby. Just a few feet and then you can show off your skills on the crutches.” Nicole tried to be reassuring, but Waverly was having none of that.

“Whatever” she grumbled, reluctantly letting herself be helped into the chair by the nurse.

Nicole knew not to say anything else in the moment. Instead, she simply grabbed Waverly’s bag while the nurse silently pushed Waverly through the hallway to the front door. Once outside, Waverly got out of the chair as quickly as she could, face still scrunched in obvious anger. She took a few steps with her crutches and then saw a black SUV pull up and stop right in front of her. The passenger door opened and Wynonna hopped out.

“Baby girl! Let’s go home. Here, let me help you.” Wynonna was about to step toward Waverly to assist with getting into the car, but didn’t get far before her little sister snapped.

“I can do it myself, dammit! I can get into the car just fine!”

Wynonna held up both hands and took a step back, looking over at Nicole for help. Nicole just shook her head. “Okay, yes. Of course.” Wynonna stepped back toward the car and opened the back door, but then moved out of the way to let Waverly maneuver her way inside. It took some time and a few hissed curse words as Waverly bumped her cast against the car a couple of times while pushing herself inside, but she managed eventually. She was panting a little, but closed the door behind her with a bang to highlight that she was perfectly capable of getting into a car by herself, thank you very much. She nodded at Dolls, who was watching her from the driver’s seat, but neither of them said anything. Nicole put her bag into the trunk and walked around the other side and carefully slid in next to Waverly, while Wynonna got back into the passenger seat up front. No one said a word, and Dolls started driving toward the Homestead.

Waverly felt the tension in the car with every fibre of her being. She knew that her sister had meant well, and that snapping at her had been uncalled for. Still, she felt frustrated and just wanted everyone to allow her to get back to normal. “Sorry” she mumbled, looking at her hands. “I know you all just want to help. But I just, I need to be able to do things, basic stuff like getting in a car. I need to be able to do that myself. I’ll ask for help when I need it.”

Wynonna turned around slightly and looked at her. Waverly could feel it, but didn’t look up. “It’s okay, baby girl. I get it.”

That was that. Waverly could feel Nicole shift slightly next to her and place her hand on the seat so it only lightly touched the outside of Waverly’s thigh. It was an ‘I’m here’ without saying anything, giving her all the space she needed. She looked over at the hand and then at Nicole, who was looking at her but then looked away, seemingly not wanting to appear like she was staring at Waverly.

“Thank you.” It was a blanket thank you, meant for everyone in the car with her in that moment, but she also meant it to cover a lot of different things: helping her out of that cave, sitting by her side in the hospital, putting up with her foul mood now, and just being there for her.

A short while later they arrived at the Homestead. True to their words, Nicole, Wynonna and Dolls simply got out of the car, grabbed Waverly’s belongings but left her alone to make her way inside the house. All three were attempting to shift into light banter, trying to overcome the general tension that everyone could still feel. Waverly hobbled along behind them, and even though she struggled with the steps leading up to the porch and door, she managed to get herself inside and onto the couch.

His passenger safely delivered, Dolls excused himself, saying that he wanted to look into the group that had been chasing them as Waverly crashed into the cave. Wynonna immediately turned on her heel and followed Dolls out the door, shouting a short “See you both later! And Haught, keep your hands off my sister as long as she is down here on the couch!”

Nicole blushed deeply and scurried into the kitchen. Waverly rolled her eyes, but then just relaxed into the cushions. She didn’t want to admit it, but getting around on crutches was exhausting! If she was being honest, all she wanted right now was to snap her fingers and be in her bed, tucked in and warm, with her girlfriend next to her. But her bedroom was upstairs, and those were a lot of stairs. She wasn’t quite ready for that. She heard Nicole putter around in the kitchen for a while and was wondering what she was up to, but she felt too tired to ask. She closed her eyes for a minute. 

After a good amount of time, she heard footsteps near the couch and opened her eyes. Nicole was putting a glass of water on the table in front of her.

“I got you some water, to take your pills. Also, there is food in the fridge in those glass containers. It’s just some pasta, but all you have to do is heat it up. I can head home, so you can get some rest, okay?”

Nicole moved in and placed a careful kiss on the top of Waverly’s head, but then pulled back and was about to grab her coat. 

“No!”

“No?” Nicole stood there, frozen, coat in hand, looking at Waverly.

“You don’t, you don’t have to leave, Nicole. I mean, if you want to or if you have to be somewhere, then go. But, you don’t have to. I don’t want you to. I mean, can you stay? If you want to?” Waverly could feel how small her voice sounded, and it made her cringe. But all she wanted right now was her bed and her girl. Was that too much to ask? She sat there, puffing short breaths out of her nose when all of a sudden, she felt tears well up in her eyes and spill over immediately.

She watched Nicole’s face go from confused and concerned to soft and understanding. The redhead put her coat back on the kitchen chair and sat down on the table in front of Waverly, facing her.

“Of course I’ll stay, Waves. If that’s what you want.” She carefully brushed her hands against Waverly’s cheeks, wiping away some of the tears that were still spilling down her face.

“I want.” Waverly huffed. She didn’t want to cry. She wasn’t sad, just frustrated, and tired. Oh god, she was so tired. “Nicole?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Can you help me upstairs? I just want to sleep, in my bed, with you.” She sniffled.

“Anything you want.” Nicole smiled a little, and then held her hand out to help her girlfriend off the couch. Waverly grabbed one of the crutches, and looped her other arm around Nicole, who held her up and steadied her, but let Waverly do most of the walking. The stairs weren’t so bad done like this, and after a few minutes of carefully maneuvering through the hallway and doors, Waverly sat on her bed. 

Nicole stepped back a little. “Are you okay to change into something more comfortable? Or do you want help? I was just going to run down at get that water for you, and get the other crutch so you have it for later.”

Waverly felt her eyes droop. Her arms felt like they each weighed about 500 pounds. She knew Nicole could likely see her exhaustion, but she didn’t want to feel like some damn damsel in distress all the time. “I can get changed by myself. But getting the water and other stuff would help. Thank you.”

Nicole hesitated for a few seconds, but then just grabbed Waverly’s favourite pajamas from the dresser and handed them to her. “Okay. Be right back” she said, almost in a whisper, and left the room.

Waverly focussed her energy on getting changed. The top was relatively easy, even though her body was still stiff from her fall. Getting out of her hospital jogging pants and into her set of soft flannel pajama pants was a different matter. The cast was bulky and in the way, and she had to balance on one leg at times to make it happen, but she did. When she was done, she flopped down on the bed, too tired to move herself underneath the comforter. 

She heard Nicole come back with the water and the second crutch. She placed both items on and near the table next to the bed, and carefully sat down next to Waverly. All Waverly could do in that moment was mumble “M so tired, Cole.” She couldn’t move anymore, and she didn’t protest when she felt strong arms lift her up a bit and get her settled under the comforter and some extra blankets. Everything felt heavy and warm. She barely managed to slur “Please stay” before she drifted off.

The last thing she heard was a softly whispered “For as long as you want me to.”


End file.
